Taiwan-based HTC is known in the mobile world as a premium smartphone brand. It is not a part of the league that includes manufacturers which make smartphones for every budget, while compromising on specifications and the end-user experience.

Global smartphone leader Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> is planning a new product launch next year based on its own Tizen operating system, the South Korean giant`s strategic push to free itself from Android and blaze its own software path.